Sworn Enemies
by Regina Halliwell
Summary: During 'Crush' Spike tells Buffy he loves her. This is how I thought it should have happened. Please read and review! Lotsa fluff!
1. Crush

Sworn Enemies 

By Regina Halliwell

Chapter 1: Second Chances

Summary: After chaining Buffy up and professing his love for her, he gives her a chance to respond. Things don't go exactly as they did on the show, however. Buffy/Spike romance.

Rating: PG (Overall PG-13, but this chapter is PG.)

Author's Note: As I said, this will not undermine Charmed: The In-Betweens, my other story, but I had this idea, so I decided I would put it down before I forgot it. Please Read and Review! I love feedback!

Chapter 1: Second Chances

"Spike..." Buffy began, hesitantly.

He moved closer to the Slayer, apprehensively. Though her arms chained her to the wall, he seemed almost frightened of her; he was not afraid of her, per say, but what her answer would be.

"The only chance you had with me was when I was unconscious." Buffy finished menacingly, full of strength and hate towards Spike. A twinge of hurt in Spike's eyes drowned out his usual smirk. For a split second, guilt pierced Buffy's heart, making her regret being so mean to the vampire. It disappeared, however, as Spike retreated, yelling, "Bloody Hell!"

As he continued to yell and complain about how women only broke heartache and were now worth the effort, Buffy turned her attention to Drusilla, who was cunningly escaping the ropes binding her to a pole. As she slid her hands out, she smiled wickedly at the Vampire Slayer and advanced on her, ready to attack.

After years of being the slayer, Buffy had grown used to sensing danger, enough to know she was in it. Spike was off in his own little land, ranting, while Drusilla planned to make her a snack.

Drusilla reached Buffy and vamped out as she attacked the bound Slayer. The ugly Goth that was Drusilla melted away as Spike violently threw her off Buffy and onto the floor.

Puzzled, Buffy asked Spike, "Why did you do that?"

Spike looked exasperated, as if she hadn't heard everything she he had been telling her lately. "Buffy, I told you. I love you." Spike waited for the look of disgust to wash over the beautiful features of Buffy's face, but didn't get to see it.

Harmony stood opposite Spike, empty crossbow in hand, grinning. The weapon's arrow was lodged in Spike's back. He fell painfully down to the floor of his crypt.

Spike's 'girlfriend' continued to smile. Her gaze wavered from Spike to Buffy, then over Drusilla. While Harmony was looking elsewhere, useless weapon in hand, Spike took the opportunity to knock Harmony out. She slumped to the floor, unconscious but not hurt.

He glanced at Drusilla. "Unless you want to end up like poor Harm over there, Dru, I suggest you get the bloody hell out of here right now." Smirking at Buffy, he watched as Dru picked herself up, retaining her dignity, and glided slowly out of Spike's crypt.

Spike sighed heavily. Looking over at Buffy, he told her, "I understand that after Angel, you don't want to get involved with a vampire again. I get that. But what positively befuddles me is why you think that because I don't have a soul, I could never love you the way Angel did. And he left you."

Buffy looked offended.

"Plus," Spike added, "I'm not letting you go until you understand everything. _Everything._"

Buffy frowned, and then slumped down. "This is gonna take a while, like maybe a lifetime. So I'll need something to sit on... that is, unless you want an unconscious Slayer hanging limply from chains in your crypt." Realizing that Spike probably _would_ like her chained and unconscious in his crypt, she shuddered. _I'd hate to think of all the things he would do. Eww!_

Seeing her shudder, and knowing why, Spike chuckled. "That's right, Slayer. I think I'll just keep you standing there." As Buffy's jaw dropped defensively, he laughed. "Bloody hell. I was kidding. Be right back with something. Sitâ stand tight." Spike went to another part of the crypt, pulling out a large, so far unnoticed, stool. It was large enough for Buffy to sit on while still bound.

He placed it under her and smiled; his face actually looked sincere. She looked at him with mild distaste, but then mumbled, "Thanks." Simple, yet effective.

"Ah, so now you're being decent to me. At least we're getting somewhere." As Spike said this to Buffy, his smirk once again appeared.

"Okay. Intervention time, I guess. Don't expect me to be some lovesick puppy, though. But you haven't killed me or raped me yet, so I'll listen. But, hurry up." Buffy was ready to end all of it.

"When we first-um- met, I tried to kill you. I, the grandchilde of the one you loved, tried, and failed miserably, I might add, to kill you. But I kept trying. The Slayer and a vampire: Sworn enemies, so I kept trying. After a while, we let our guards down and it became a routine, right? I guess I stopped really trying to kill you, and you me. Then got this blasted chip in my head and so I can't hurt humans. Notice that while I can hurt you, as you are the Slayer, I choose not to. Not intentionally, anyway.

"I recently have been thinking of us sort of like friends. I know it is probable on some level that you do too. I'm the one who is always there. Always. To protect you when you need it, and to protect the people you love, like Dawn. Hell, I even protect the Whelp! Now, Buffy, for some reason, I don't need a soul to be able to love. Not just you. I love Nibblet, I love Red, and I guess I love Tara, seeing as she's the only one who has always been nice to me. Anya's one of my own... a demon. And the Whelp, he hates me, but I know you love him, so I guess I can live with him around.

"But you, Buffy, I don't know. It's like the reason I'm here still is because I love you. I'll never stop, either, Slayer. Never. You could dust me and send me to the worst Hell dimension existing where I'd burn and rot and suffer, but I'd still love you."

Finally, Spike ended his story. The sun was rising in the sky, casting an orange glow on Spike's crypt. None of the pale sunshine came inside, but Buffy's skin became alive with a golden tinge, almost as if she had died during the night and come alive again with the sunrise.

As he finished, Buffy's head drooped down, and Spike was unsure of what she was doing. Buffy didn't want to admit it, but on some level she didn't hate him. All he had said touched her. When she raised her head again, one lone tear had escaped the barriers Buffy had put up in her eyes to keep from showing him such emotion. It rolled her cheek.

Buffy looked at her surroundings uncertainly. Finally she noticed that Harmony was bound and gagged. She still had not returned to consciousness. She glanced questioningly at Spike. He understood and told her, "It was worth the pain. I didn't want her to hear everything I told you and I didn't want to kill her either, so there she is. I had to his her pretty damn hard, though."

"Please let me out. I won't stake you. But let me go home. Dawn will be very worried." Spike laughed suddenly at Buffy's response.

"Nibblet's at Janice's. She knows you're here." Spike told her.

Buffy's eyes bulged open, astounded. "She... she helped to plot this?" At Spike's nod, Buffy groaned. "How could she? Damn."

"Look, petâ"

"Don't call me pet." Buffy interrupted. It came out more hurtful than she wanted.

"Fine. Look, Buffy, I just want you to give me a chance. I may be a soulless undead vampire, but I do have feelings for you. And I'm different than Angel. I'll stick around... even if you don't want me to."

"If you let me go, now, then I'll think about it. But you're going to have to give me some time. No feeding on humans, no bad evil undead stuff. I'm serious. And I'll think about it." Buffy finished, looking defeated.

Spike smiled. "It's a deal." He walked over to her, removed the key from his pocket, and undid her handcuffs. She held her wrists in pain. They were barely chafed, but red and sore.

Spike saw her pain, so he walked over and got some first aid supplies. Tenderly, he sat her down and began to help her. He cleaned her wrists, holding her hands gently in his own. She frowned in confusion at him. His cool touch was soothing, though she would never admit it. She relaxed into his touch for a few moments, then realized who it was, and pulled away gently.

Once her wrists were tended to, Buffy said, "Thank you. I'll be back when I've thought about it. Remember our deal." With that, she smiled shakily and walked out of Spike's crypt and into the sunlight. She was going to have a little chat with Dawn...


	2. I Was Made to Hate You

Sworn Enemies

By Regina Halliwell

Chapter 2:

I Was Made to Hate You

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Basically "I was made to love you" with a twist. Spike never goes to Warren to have the Buffybot made. Instead, he stays with Dawn, helps her with homework, etc. while Buffy handles Warren.

A/N I need Joyce alice for this, so assume that instead of her having an aneurism and dying on the couch at home, she is at work and still alive when Buffy gets home from her fight.

I Was Made To Hate You

(Spike's POV)

I didn't expect her to fall into my arms, head over heels in love with me after my oh-so-romantic admission of love for her. Okay, so maybe I did. But, even so, I know better now. I should have learned from with Cecily, or I guess Halfrek, as she is now called. But it wouldn't have killed them for either of them to be personable, or at least decent to me. Instead, I am told that I am "beneath them", even though I would have died for either of them.

So here I am, William Anderson of England, William the Bloody, Spike: a vampire in love with the Slayer. How pathetic am I?

Incredibly.

"Nibblet, what stuff are you studying in school now?" Spike asked curiously.

"Why," Dawn responded. "Well, I could help ya, Bit, if you'd like." Spike mumbled.

Dawn smiled knowingly. "Boring stuff. History. Something called the Boxing Rebellion..."

"That's the Boxer Rebellion, nibblet, and I can honestly say that I can tell you anything you need to know. I was there. You see, rebellions are bleeding wonderful; all this conflict makes people piss their bloody trousers in fear. Fear is important when you're on the hunt..." Spike explained to Dawn.

He continued with his makeshift history lecture proudly until the front door opened and Buffy limped slightly into the living room. She appeared weary and a bit forlorn after her fight with April. Yet she pitied the robot, for all that she had no real feelings, it was horrible what Warren did to her.

As soon as Buffy appeared through the door, Spike rapidly changed the direction of his lesson to, "The Chinese had issues with the different governmental parties disagreeing, because the Communists just couldn't get along with the nationalists. The two couldn't have been more different, and it would have been impossible for them to peacefully settle their dispute."

At this he spared a glance at Buffy, she was looking at him strangely, as if she was at war with herself over the decision she had made regarding Spike. Dawn saw the tension between them and quickly thanked Spike and headed to her room.

Buffy warily sat down, a safe distance away from Spike. She was limping from being thrown around, and her neck not only had bruises from April's death grip, but also cuts along her neck and collarbone from the exposed wires on April's metallic body. Spike quickly noticed her appearance and smelled the imperceptible amount of blood trickling from her cuts.

"Luv, how about I fix you up a bit. Put some bandages on those cuts and whatnot." Buffy pondered this for a moment, and finally concurred, "I only allow this because I am too tired to do it myself. I am _not_ letting you do this because I like you."

Spike smirked, "Whatever you say, luv."

Buffy's neck was newly bandaged and she held an icepack to her forehead when the phone began to ring. She called out "I'll get it." Picking up the phone, she greeted, "Buffy Summers," A man on the other end said, Buffy, It's Rick. I work with your mother at the gallery. The thing is, she's had an aneurysm and is at the hospital right now. So you want me to pick you and Dawn up?"

Shocked, Buffy fainted, the sound of Rick's frantic questions still heard through the phone speaker. As soon as she dropped to the ground, Spike heard her and cam running in. He lifted her up and grabbed the phone, saying "No thanks, you won't be needed."

He set Buffy sown on the couch and quickly went upstairs to get Dawn. As he explained the circumstances on the way down, Dawn started crying. Spike moved to console her, saying only, "It'll all work out bit. Don't worry, it'll be okay." He then gestured to Buffy and together, they woke her up.

As soon as Buffy was conscious her eyes welled up with tears. She cried silently as she held Dawn for a few moments, and then finally stood up. Her face was blank and unreadable. Spike simply offered, "C'mon. I'll take you to the hospital in my DeSoto. It's parked in back. Just let me grab my blanket and we can get going."

The ride to the hospital was silent and tense. Once there they found out that Joyce was in recovery. They had performed an emergency operation and managed to control her aneurysm. Buffy led the way as Spike and Dawn followed her to the recovery ward. When the three got there, they were shocked to find out that Joyce couldn't speak. The aneurysm had infected her speech ability, though she would regain it with time and practice.

"Mommy," Buffy began, "I was so scared I was going to lose you. I don't know what I would have done if you..." She could not finish her sentence, and fell silent.

Spike and Buffy left the room, as Dawn had requested time alone with their mother. In the hall Buffy sat, holding her head in her hands. Spike comforted her, and then pulled away before she could say anything, offering to get her some coffee from the cafeteria, as it was very late. She declined and they sat together in silence.

Finally, Buffy spoke. "I hate this," she stated. "I hate that I can't fight this. Vampires, demons, even hell godesses I can deal with, but I can't fight this. It's horrible. No one should have to go through what she's going through... what Dawn and I am going through. It's almost better to let some vampire drain you dry. I'll bet that'd take away all the pain and suffering."

Spike was about to reply when a nearby familiar male voice said, "I don't think so."

What do you think? Good, bad, Ugly? Please review! Next chapter, a special vampire guest.


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